Got-soaked

I have a dumb question… Can someone educate me on hot to attach pictures versus links to pictures? I see some post and have their pictures as part of the post and not a link.

Very nice pictures ... can you someone explain to me hot to post pictures?

You can probably attribute a portion of it to insulation (which is easily and cheeply corrected if you think its really a factor), but what I find most often the issue is how the spa gets used. Most new users are normally in their spas a lot more then the sales pitch above. Often though most just arent familiar with how the spa operates. I find the most two common problems with high electric bills to be accidental, not manufacturing defect. The cover is not on the spa 100% of the time its not in use (which I know you mentioned just pointing it out), and the air controls get left open when not in use. All the point you made are very valid. My particular Master Spa LSX1050 power consumption of 25KW per day (warmer months) is because of insulation. I can fell the heat escaping from the skirt. What is your easy and inexpensive fix for poor insulated tubs. I’m being told by the Roxul insulation distributor that he would not recomend the Roxul products sold in the USA toi be near the air intake of a spa. Fibers might get sucked into the air intake. 1) I had a KW meter placed of the breaker of the hot tub to validate the KW usage 2) Cover is on 23+ hours out of the day 3) Cover is a good quality cover and is placed on correctly 4) Air intake is turned off when tub is not in use 5) Filter cycle is set for 2-2hour cycles 6) Spa is equipped with small circulation pump that runs 24x7 so the larger pumps do not have to run I'm going to try to fill the skirt of my LSX1050 with a closed cell foam. I hear it is messy to spray on and will cost between $300-$600 dollars.

It is NOT the price of the tub but the quality of the tub and how it is insulated. You can pay big bucks for a hot tub and still pay huge electric bills. I paid $14K for a Master Spa LSX1050 (2007 model) and having the same issue. Master Spa doesn’t go with full foam insulation they use a thermal pain design with partial foam. The slightest breeze sucks the heat from under the skirt and the 5.5KW heater kicks on . My tub during the warmer months (Delaware) uses about 25KW per day which equates to 750KW per month @.13cents a KWH comes to $97.50. During the colder months the KW use will easily double and taking the electric usage over $200 a month. With economy mode, do you know the number of degrees the water temperature will drop between the cleaning cycles? Is your tub fully insulation. What KW rating is your heater? Also, a good quality cover can reduce your cost.

The above post is good advice. I wish I had known about this forum before I bought. I bought from one of the other guys and whish I knew then what I know now.

Does anyone have any have any experience using a spray closed cell spay foam to help better insulate their tub? I’m thinking about buying a 600 board foot container of this foam and adding 3-6 inches of added insulation to the base of my tub. I would leave the pumps and heater and circuit board open for cooling and ventilation so they would over heat. Just wondering if this stuff is difficult to work with and how much of a mess it makes. I’m being told by the Roxul insulation distributor that I do not want to use their product around moisture or near the air intake of a spa. The expansion ratio of this foam is 8:1. R-value is R-7 per inch and density is 1.75 pounds per cubic foot http://www.fomofoam.com/

Is Master Spa considered a quality spa? My LSX1050 has flimsy sides that viberate when the pumps are running it is under insulated and is a energy hog.

What Rolux product can some recommend to insulate a tub and where cane I purchase it? I called Rolux and they are a Canadian company and they do not market all of their products in the US. I don't want to attempt to install fans and baffles because I know I'll hack it up. I think I'll just install the batt insulation for the colder months and remove it during the warmer ones. If my hot tub was running me $25 -$50 a month in electric I wouldn't bother doing a thing but an increase of 2000 kilowatt hours (Nov-Feb) @ .13 per hour is killing me.

The pumps certainly are a source but other spas have good size pumps and aren't energy pigs. I'd blame your insulation more than the heater or pumps so you really want to concentrate on that. Any recommendations on manufacture and type of insulation? I have a call into the regional account representative from Roxul.

Good point about the pumps drawing a lot of power. I was assuming the electric consumption was due to the heater and didn’t consider the pumps being an energy pig. How come Master Spa advertise that their tubs will cast a $1 a day in electricity? There should be some energy efficiency ratings on these tubs.

I used roxul in my tub a couple weeks ago - it was moderately easy to install. It was a new tub so I don't have any past electricity bills to compare it to nor do I have my first bill yet - sorry. I also plan on using a pool blanket (haven't decided which kind yet) on the water surface when it isn't in use to further help retaining heat in the water as well as protecting the tub's cover from condensation and hopefully prolong its lifespan. What product line of Roxul did you use AFB, Flexiatt (whis is only sold in Canada), etc?

Filter cycle runs 2 hours per day 7am-8am and 7pm- 8pm. Last winter I tried the economy cycle and the heater couldn't maintain the water temperature, the tub dropped 5 degrees the first day so I went back to the standard mode. I had the same idea about using the expandable spray foam from HD until I heard about the Roxul insulation. I have used the spray foam before and it can be messy.

I used roxul in my tub a couple weeks ago - it was moderately easy to install. It was a new tub so I don't have any past electricity bills to compare it to nor do I have my first bill yet - sorry. I also plan on using a pool blanket (haven't decided which kind yet) on the water surface when it isn't in use to further help retaining heat in the water as well as protecting the tub's cover from condensation and hopefully prolong its lifespan. I appreciate the sharing of the information. Where did you purchase the Roxul (HD?)? Do you have any concerns about the Roxul insulating the pumps and overheating?

Ok, it is a little too late for anyone to give me advice on what manufacture tub to buy. I'm a whole lot wiser today and a lot poorer. not to mention it is costing me more to run this hot tub then it cost me to heat my house. I purchased a Master Spa LSX1050 and had it delivered and operational in November 2006. The hot tub was installed during the electric billing cycle so the month of November bill didn’t reflect a full month usage. My electric bill for November 2006 jumped by 1300 KWH @ thirteen cents a KW hour that comes to an increase of $169. My December electric bill jumped by 1700 KWH @ .13 = $221.00. The average temperature according to the Delmarva electric bill for December 2006 was 42 degrees. The Master Spa dealer replaced the heater and circuit board 3 times thinking the heater and board was defective. Replacement of the circuit board and heater had no impact on reducing the KWH. I should also note that my house is heated and the appliances are all natural gas. The electric usage for the most part is limited to lights and the LSX1050. The spa cover was also replaced by the dealer due to quality issues and was replaced with a Sunstar cover which appears to be a denser foam. (much heavier to lift) The hot tub was used for 30-60 minutes per day and was set at 102 degrees. If the outside temperature was in the 30s and the breeze blowing the hot tub could not maintain 102 degrees. I documented this information and e-mailed the owner/operator of the Master Spa dealer. The Dealer had an electrician come out and place a KW meter on the electric breaker supporting the hot tub. The KW meter confirmed the Master Spa LSX1050 tub was the culprit of the high energy bills. April of 2007 the Master Spa dealer agreed to replace the tub. The tub had several issues that needed to be addressed but the electric power consumption was my biggest concern. This month November 2007 the replacement LSX1050 was delivered. I’m hoping my old LSX1050 was defective and that the new tub will not be plagued with the same issue. Are there other owners of the LSX1050 in the mid-Atlantic that have had similar issues with huge amount of power consumption? Q1) What did you do to help reduce your electric bill? Q2) Has anyone had any success on better insulating their hot tub? Q3) Any concern about adding additional insulation and the pumps over heating during the summer months? Q4) Is there a successful way to add foam insulation? Q5) What should an LSX1050 cost to run in the mid-atlantic? Q6) Has anyone any experience with the products listed below? http://www.prodexsa.com/ http://www.roxul.com/sw47757.asp Thanks in advanced. Got-soaked